FOTP 2013 Full Report

allegedly broadcasting unofficial electoral results. The stations returned to the air the next day. Inaddition, several reporters and cameramen reported being roughed up by candidates’ securityguards at events during the campaign season.The Dominican Republic has five daily newspapers, more than 300 radio stations, andover 40 terrestrial and cable television stations. Ownership of many of these stations and thecountry’s newspapers is concentrated in the hands of a few powerful individuals and companies,leading to self-censorship by journalists to avoid damaging the owners’ political or businessinterests. There are two state-owned television stations and one state-owned radio station.Community radio and television stations, as well as websites, are also becoming increasinglyactive.Approximately 45 percent of the population accessed the internet during 2012, and therewere no reports of online censorship. Several online news sources produce content in Englishand Spanish, and usage of social-networking websites is increasing rapidly.East TimorStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 11Political Environment: 11Economic Environment: 13Total Score: 35Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 38,PF 37,PF 35,PF 35,PF 35,PFThe media environment in East Timor remained stable in 2012. Freedom of the press andexpression are protected under Articles 40 and 41 of the constitution. The debate over five draftmedia laws proposed by the UN Development Programme remained at an impasse, as Timoreseand regional press organizations argued that the laws would place new restrictions on journalists.One of the issues under discussion was the creation of a media council, which would resolvepress disputes outside of the court system. At the end of the year, however, details about thecomposition, operation, and funding of such a council remained unclear and the draft laws hadnot yet been approved by either the Council of Ministers or passed by the National Parliament.Where domestic laws currently do not exist, the 1999 Indonesian Press Law governs mediaissues.The implementation of East Timor’s new penal code in 2009 decriminalized defamation.However, misuse of the “defamatory false information” clause still threatens journalists. InMarch 2012, the national police commissioner, Longinhos Monteiro, said the police would arrestjournalists who published news stories considered to be inaccurate. In October, the publicprosecutor in Dili, the capital, placed two reporters, Raimundo Oki and Oscar Salsinha, underhouse arrest on criminal charges for an article critical of the judicial process following a fataltraffic accident.A culture of deference and respect for hierarchy continues to pervade journalism in EastTimor, and most news reported out of Dili features verbatim accounts recorded during organizedpress conferences. While most public officials pay lip service to freedom of the press, not all are148